Newsletter
January 13, 2025
Dear Downey Community,
Happy New Year! I hope that 2025 is off to a good start, and you are staying healthy. Students and staff are hard at work, we have a good stretch of uninterrupted time for teaching and learning. Winter also brings colds and illness to children which may result in students missing school for a day or two to get well. Below are attendance guidelines that can be found in the Pre-K and Elementary Handbook. *The handbook can also be found on the Downey School website.
School Attendance
School attendance is required by law beginning in Grade 1. Children who attend school regularly and arrive on time establish routines and habits that give them a good start to the school day. Families are expected to arrange vacations during weeks scheduled on the school calendar, as doing so eliminates disruptions in the learning process. Teachers will not provide work for students to complete during family vacations that are scheduled while school is in session.
In an effort to have all children arrive safely to school, parents are encouraged to contact the school as early as possible to report the absence of a child and state the reason. If a student is absent and a parent has not reported the absence, the school secretary or nurse will call the child’s home to check on the child.
Also, please know that we make every effort to have students outside for arrival and recess. Fresh air and a chance to burn some energy is good for kids! If the actual temperature is below 20 degrees students will be inside for arrival and recess. Please be sure to send your child to school with the appropriate winter gear every day during the winter season in a tote bag labeled with their name and classroom.
Lastly, I have received a few phone calls and emails seeking information about head lice. Please click HERE for more information.
Below are some dates for you to mark on your calendar and a few Student Handbook Highlights. Have a good week and stay well!
Sincerely,
Principal Deb Gallagher
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Save the Dates:
Math League Practice - 8:00-8:40 a.m. in the art room
Tuesdays Grade 5
Thursdays Grade 4
Fridays Grade 3
January 16 - 6:30 p.m. School Committee Meeting in WHS Little Theater
January 20 - NO SCHOOL/Martin Luther King Day
January 22 - Early Release, 12:00 p.m. dismissal
January 31 - Report cards will be available in the Aspen portal at the end of the school day. Special education progress notes will be mailed home. *More information about report cards will be emailed to all families on January 30.
Important Information:
Student Handbook Highlight:
Health Services and Wellness
Each school has an assigned school nurse who promotes health, safety, and wellness so all children can achieve optimal academic success. The school nurse provides advisory and emergency care only. The school nurse does not provide a medical diagnosis, but is available for consultation regarding health related issues. After first aid has been administered, parents/guardians are responsible for contacting their family physician for diagnosis and follow-up care. Injuries or illnesses that occur at home should be assessed by your physician. A record is kept of all visits to the health room and parents/guardians will be notified of any possible health conditions that may be developing.
Communicable Diseases and Returning to School
Parents are often faced with a decision: should they keep their sick child at home or send him/her to school? Often, the way your child looks or behaves can influence your decision. The guidelines below are in place to help guide you. A sick child cannot effectively learn and is unable to participate in class in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child at home helps prevent the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child an opportunity to rest and recover. Please contact the school nurse with any questions.
Chicken Pox/Shingles: Notify the school nurse immediately if your child has been diagnosed of having either of these conditions. There are Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines that govern your child’s return to school.
Conjunctivitis: Students may return to school 24 hours after antibiotic medication has been started and as soon as the symptoms of redness and discharge are greatly improved. There are different types of conjunctivitis: viral (no treatment) or bacterial (eye drops). Your child should remain home if they develop a fever or continue to have eye symptoms (drainage, redness, itching).
(American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2023)
Fever: Fever is defined as 100 degrees or higher. Students should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Students may return to school when:
* Their temperature is below 100 degrees AND
* They have not taken medication to reduce the fever for 24 hours.
Fevers that are associated with a virus are the lowest in the morning. If your child has a fever in the evening or during the night, he/she should not attend school the next day.
Fifth Disease: No isolation period. Please notify the school nurse if it is suspected or diagnosed.
Mononucleosis: No isolation period. Please notify the school nurse if it is suspected or diagnosed.
Pediculosis (Head Lice): Students with lice can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after beginning appropriate treatment. Nits may stay in hair after treatment, but successful treatment will kill crawling lice. (CDC lice) (Mass.gov lice)
Vomiting: Students must be fever free, symptom free, and able to tolerate two full meals without returning symptoms for at least twelve hours before turning to school. (in collaboration with district physician and nurses).
Diarrhea: Students should remain home for 24 hours after the last episode of diarrhea. If diarrhea is the result of a specific pathogen (norovirus, salmonella, etc.), remain out of school per pathogen protocol or until a medical exam indicates that it is not due to a communicable disease.
